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Robson interview
ISBN
141690185X
“Imperial Spy” follows directly
on from Mark Robson’s “The Chosen One”, with the latter part of this novel
making an appearance at the beginning. As such, “Imperial Spy” begins
thrillingly, as the Imperial Spy, herself, Femke, almost dispatches the
assassin Shalidar. However, with Lord Vallaine now dead, Femke thinks that she
can relax, despite the mess that the Shandese court has been thrown into by his
machinations. With the wise and experienced General Surabar now in charge,
Shandar looks to be finally heading in the right direction. Sure enough, there
are Shandese nobles itching to remove the commoner Surabar from power, but he
has the great assistance of Femke’s watchful eyes and her alert ears to ward
him from danger. However, it is Surabar himself who is more aware of the danger
to Femke, for he knows that Shalidar will not easily forgive her interference
with his imperial ambitions… There is also the urgent need to restore peaceful
relations with the neighbouring kingdom of Thrandor, which had been damaged
when Vallaine had persuaded the previous emperor to send an army against them.
It seems to be an ideal plan to send Femke to Mantor as an ambassador: Surabar
trusts both her and her skills, and it will keep Femke out of Shalidar’s way
before he can attempt an act of vengeance… Unfortunately, neither Femke nor
Surabar realise just how far Shalidar’s talons reach… It’s not long before Femke
is in more trouble than she ever imagined, as 2 nobles at the court of Thrandor
are found murdered with Femke’s blades… In a bid to prove her innocence of
these crimes, Femke decides to buy time by making her escape. But everything
she tries to extricate herself from this mess just makes everything worse, as
if she herself were being spied upon… Femke pits all her skills and resources
in her plan to unmask the real murderer, but has she risked too much? And can
she and Surabar prevent another war?
This is the first of Mark Robson’s novels not to feature the magical hero Calvin (although eagle-eyed readers will spot a subtle reference to him). However, “Imperial Spy” does not suffer from his absence, as Femke is another great creation. Femke is a bit more down-to-earth than Calvin perhaps (although she’s not beyond using some trickery that looks like magic). Mark Robson’s heroines have always been as strong as his heroes, and it helps that Femke has already played a major role in “The Chosen One”. Even so, she is stretched to her limit and beyond in “Imperial Spy”, as she is made to suffer by her nemesis. This is necessary for the plot, and it serves to make Femke an even stronger character, but it does perhaps make “Imperial Spy” a shade darker than Mark Robson’s earlier novels. There is also plenty of action in the novel. Having said that, the novel is still suitable for all ages, due to Mark Robson’s deft touch. Although some characters in the novel do die, even the lowliest are afforded a great deal of dignity. And there is more than a touch of romance, which Mark Robson always handles well. The book also includes the same map used for all of Mark Robson’s previous books, and this is a nice continuation with the past. Yet you don’t need to have read the previous books to immerse yourself into Femke’s world, because the plot is so thrilling that you can’t stop reading (there’s also a Dramatis Personae at the beginning which some readers may find helpful, but I didn’t need to refer to it). In short, “Imperial Spy” is another excellent Mark Robson novel, which I loved reading.
